Improve Your Home’s Landscape in 6 Easy Steps

Written by Tom Ridgeway


Think that improvingrepparttar look of your home and garden requires too much time and money? It doesn’t have to. Here are 6 easy ways to spruce uprepparttar 142000 appearance of your home. These solutions won’t cost a fortune and won’t take long to complete, but it will look like they did!

STEP 1: CREATE AN OASIS FOR BIRDS

Create a great focal point inrepparttar 142001 front or backyard while providing a haven for birds. This is one of simplest and least expensive ways to fashion a great yard accent. An elegant birdbath can be placed in any corner ofrepparttar 142002 yard, ideally under a small to medium size tree. Select a matching bird feeder to hang fromrepparttar 142003 tree to complementrepparttar 142004 birdbath. Plant a small patch of annuals or perennials aroundrepparttar 142005 base ofrepparttar 142006 birdbath to completerepparttar 142007 design and voilà! It’s an instant focal point for your landscape and a gathering place for your favorite song birds - all in a matter of minutes.

STEP 2: GARDEN WITH YOUR KIDS

Gardening doesn’t have to be a chore -- turn it into a fun weekend event for you and your children. Planting a garden inrepparttar 142008 spring is a great activity for your kids, and their excitement will grow along withrepparttar 142009 garden they helped you plant. Add a garden plaque with your children’s names personally engraved to your herb garden and flower plantings. The plaques will identifyrepparttar 142010 children’s special garden plot and will give them a special sense of connection withrepparttar 142011 garden. Garden plaques are inexpensive and come with attached stakes for quick installation inrepparttar 142012 ground. They’re a beautiful and easy way to highlight your flowers or garden.

STEP 3: QUICK AND EASY CURB APPEAL

Want to add some curb appeal torepparttar 142013 front of your home? Here are some inexpensive and visually appealing ideas. Dress up that old mailbox with a beautifully designed mailbox sign – it can even be personalized with your name and address. Takerepparttar 142014 project a step further and install a color garden weathervane near your mailbox with a matching ornament. In no time, you’ve added a great visual accent torepparttar 142015 front yard and created instant curb appeal.

The Container Vegetable Garden

Written by Vince Apps


If you live in an apartment or town home, you probably think you don’t have enough space to grow vegetables. Lack of space is no longer an excuse since many modern vegetable varieties are perfect for growing in containers on a sunny window ledge or patio.

You can grow salad vegetables and herbs in almost any sunny spot and enjoy fresh ingredients all year round. Snipping off a sprig of fresh herbs fromrepparttar window ledge garden inrepparttar 141878 kitchen while you are cooking cannot be bettered.

Here are some tips forrepparttar 141879 perfect container vegetable garden.

Choice of container. The easiest choice is to go to your local garden center or home improvement store and pick any gardening container that takes your fancy. There’s a wide variety available in plastic, ceramic, wood or clay. Before you pull out your credit card though, take a look around your home and see whatever containers you have lying around. Almost anything that will hold soil can be used for growing, whether it is an old bucket, an empty margarine container or an empty coffee can.

Any container you use must have sufficient drainage holes inrepparttar 141880 bottom. Make additional holes in containers that do not drain quickly after watering. Waterlogged soil will lead to soil-borne diseases and stunted plants. Standrepparttar 141881 containers in a tray if these are indoors.

Using regular soil is not advisable for container plants, since soil is likely to have plant disease organisms and weed seeds. Soil less potting mixes are lighter, less likely to compact and hold moisture and plant nutrients well. These potting mixes can be purchased from any garden center.

Choice of plants. Almost any herb is suitable for a container vegetable garden. Basil, thyme, mint, parsley, chives and oregano are all good choices. Most salads can also be grown in containers. Consider lettuce, young salad carrots, radishes, and green onions, for smaller containers. Tomatoes, eggplant and peppers do well in a larger container on a sunny patio or balcony. Choose dwarf varieties where these are available.

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